I’ve  carried a backpack of things I needed, hiking up this mountain
Things I thought were a part of me, that needed to come with me wherever I went

I’ve carried hurt
I’ve carried bitterness
I’ve carried anger, disappointment and discouragement

I’ve carried the pains of my past, the guilt of my mistakes

I’ve carried the weight of responsibility, the weight of so many expectations

I’ve carried the weight of my relationships, at the cost of breaking myself

I’ve carried the drive for success, the need for the crowning achievement 

Too many things I have carried, too many things I thought I needed to come with me. 

I didn’t realize that I was ladened down, heavy with burden. I didn’t realize on me was a backpack filled with things I didn’t need.

So I began to empty it out. To unload the guilt and the stress and disappointment. 

There is a lighter load for me. Things to carry that have no weight at all. 

There is truth.

There is mercy.

There is hope.

There is love.